All I got from the article is that the death rate is declining. The
actual reasons for the decline were not adequately explained. And in
fact, I think the first line was meant to indicate something not
actually supported by the study. If you stick around to the last line,
the article did state - "technical progress in car manufacturing,
increased seatbelt use, higher drinking ages, and better road
maintenance had greater effects on the fatality rate" <than speeds?>.

No where in the article do I see any evidence that increasing speed
limits is a cause of the declining death rate. Although the first line
suggests that increasing speed limits is not a factor in highway
fatalities, this is not actually the case. The first line could have
just as easily been reworded to say "Despite increased speed limits the
death rate is declining, a new study says." If the line had been
written this way, would you have been so quick to post this link as
"proof" that increasing speed does not lead to an increase in
fatalities, all other factors being held constant?

Of course it would be nice to see the actual study instead of a instead
of a six line "news" report of the study. However, from what was
actully printed, I see no evidence either way as to the effect of speed
limits on the highway fatality rate.

Ed